Twenty percent of hand surgeons admit to error
April 1, 2003 2 minutes read
Twenty percent of hand surgeons admit to error
One-fifth of hand surgeons admit they have operated on the wrong site at least once in their careers, according to a new survey. But at the same time, they report that a campaign begun in 1998 by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) to prevent such errors may be showing good results.
Eric G. Meinberg, MD, and Peter J. Stern, MD, both surgeons at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio, conducted the survey (J Bone Joint Surg 2003; 85-A:193-197). Twenty-one percent of the 1,050 hand surgeons surveyed said they had operated on the wrong site at least once in their careers, and one surgeon confessed to doing it three times. About two-thirds of the errors involved surgery on the wrong finger. Others involved the wrong hand or wrist.
Though wrong-site surgery accounts for only a small percentage of all orthopedic malpractice claims, the researchers say legal claims against orthopedic surgeons account for around 10% of all medical malpractice claims. Plaintiffs win almost all of the wrong-site surgery cases. The researchers call such cases "legally indefensible."
To reduce the incidence of wrong-site surgery, the AAOS in 1998 launched a campaign called "Sign Your Site," suggesting that surgeons write their own initials on the correct surgical site before the procedure begins. About 70% of orthopedic surgeons have heard of that recommendation, and 45% have adopted the practice, the survey found. General surgeons and plastic surgeons who performed hand surgery were less likely to have heard of the "Sign Your Site" campaign.
One-fifth of hand surgeons admit they have operated on the wrong site at least once in their careers, according to a new survey. But at the same time, they report that a campaign begun in 1998 by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) to prevent such errors may be showing good results.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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